A Colombian military transport plane carrying 126 people crashed during takeoff near Puerto Leguizamo on March 23, killing at least 69 and wounding many, marking one of the deadliest recent aviation incidents in the country.
The Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 went down on March 23 soon after departing the small Amazonian town near the Peruvian border. Rescuers removed 57 military personnel alive from the wreck and evacuated them; one soldier left the scene uninjured.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said the plane hit the ground about 1.5 kilometers from the departure point, triggering onboard ammunition to explode and igniting the aircraft. A fire department source told local outlets the plane seemed to impact near the end of the runway during takeoff, with a wing striking a tree as it came down.
Thick black smoke billowed from the crash site as residents rushed to help. Online video showed people speeding on dirt roads on motorcycles with wounded soldiers tied to their backs, attempting to reach the town’s two clinics before military transport arrived. Air Force commander Carlos Fernando Silva later sent two planes equipped with 74 beds to move the injured to hospitals in Bogotá and other cities.
Rescue efforts were greatly hampered by the difficult terrain, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros told reporters. “I want to thank the people of Puerto Leguizamo who came out to help the victims,” Claros told RCN television. Victims’ bodies were taken to the town’s small morgue while the injured were flown to larger hospitals for treatment.
Sánchez called the incident a “tragic accident,” saying investigators have found no indication the aircraft was attacked by rebel groups in the area. He added the plane had been considered airworthy and the crew was “duly qualified.”
President Gustavo Petro used the crash to sharply criticize his predecessor, accusing former President Iván Duque of accepting what he labeled a “junk” plane from the United States. “Extremely expensive gifts. The maintenance costs more than a new plane, and how much are the lives lost worth?” Petro wrote on X, saying he had requested the Hercules be replaced a year earlier. Duque responded by calling Petro “vile and unintelligent” and demanded a thorough probe into factors like aircraft weight and runway conditions. Carlos Silva also disputed the criticism publicly, displaying flight-hour figures at a televised cabinet meeting showing the aircraft flew 345 hours from 2021 to 2024 and 537 hours in 2025 — roughly consistent with normal annual usage. Opponents pointed out that fewer flight hours under the Petro administration, tied to budget cuts, can lead to less experienced crews.
The crash happened as Petro approached the end of his term; he is ineligible to run again and Colombia’s presidential election is scheduled for May 31. Several candidates offered condolences and called for a full investigation.
The aircraft was a C-130H Hercules, an older model that first entered service in March 1965, according to Lockheed Martin. Records indicate the U.S. Air Force donated the plane to the Colombian Air Force in September 2020. Aviation expert Erich Saumeth told reporters the aircraft underwent an overhaul in 2023, during which engines and major components were inspected or replaced.
The Hercules C-130 family has been a backbone of Colombia’s military transport since the late 1960s. The design first flew in August 1954 and remains widely used to move troops amid Colombia’s long internal conflict, which has caused more than 450,000 deaths. Colombia has upgraded some older C-130s with newer U.S.-transferred models under programs for surplus equipment transfers. The crashed plane’s tail number matches the first of three aircraft recently delivered by the U.S.
A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said the company was committed to helping with Colombia’s investigation.
This is the second major recent C-130 accident in South America. On Feb. 27, a Bolivian Air Force C-130 ran off the runway in bad weather while landing at El Alto, struck a busy highway, and caused over 20 deaths. That aircraft was transporting newly printed banknotes, which scattered and drew chaotic crowds that police dispersed with tear gas.
Puerto Leguizamo in Putumayo province is remote but strategically located on the border with Ecuador and Peru. The flight was carrying troops to Puerto Asis, also in Putumayo near Ecuador. The area’s isolation made rescue work especially challenging, with locals acting as first responders, with locals acting as first responders before official emergency teams arrived.
The crash’s cause remains under investigation; officials emphasize there is no evidence of foul play or an attack by illegal armed groups. Investigators are focusing on three possible causes: mechanical failure, pilot error, or excess weight. Military investigators and aviation experts will inspect the wreckage, flight data, and eyewitness accounts in the coming weeks to determine what caused the failed takeoff.
